I was about 60 feet (18 meters) from the truck, and the sound was hurting my ears! At that time, I wanted to know the loudness or intensity of the sound around me.

If I had worn my Apple Watch, I could have easily opened the built-in Noise app to measure the relative loudness of the sound around me and get a measurement number in dB (decibels) in green (signifying OK level sound) or yellow (for Loud sounds).

However, I did not have my Apple Watch on my wrist at that time, only my iPhone. Unfortunately, the Apple Noise app is unavailable on the iPhone.

But that doesn’t mean you’re all locked out. The App Store is full of great alternatives, and in this tutorial, we will share the names of some of the best free iOS apps to measure the sound level around you.

See sound in dB using an iPhone or iPad

Here’s how to measure the ambient sound level using your iOS device:

1. Download and install the Decibel Meter app for free.
2. Open the app and allow it to access the iPhone microphone when asked.
3. The app will now use your iPhone microphone to capture the sound around you and show the noise level as the Current Value measured in dB (decibels).

Sound level in decibels with real-world examples

Here’s another sound level chart from the decibel app:

• 20dB – Threshold of hearing
• 30dB – Rustling leaves
• 40dB – Quiet whisper
• 50dB – Quiet home
• 60dB – Quiet street
• 70dB – Normal conversation
• 75dB – Inside car
• 80dB – Loud singing
• 88dB – Automobile
• 90dB – Motorcycle
• 94dB – Food blender
• 100dB – Subway
• 107dB – Diesel trick
• 115dB – Power mower
• 117dB – Pneumatic riveter
• 120dB – Chainsaw
• 130dB – Amplified Rick & Roll
• 140dB – Jet plane
• 165dB – Shotgun
• 180dB – Rocket launch
• 194dB – Loudest possible tone

Here’s a chart courtesy of the Decibel Meter app we mentioned in the steps:

• 0dB – Absolutely quiet
• 10dB – Rustling leaves
• 20dB – Quiet house
• 30dB – Quiet office
• 40dB – Whispering
• 50dB – Conversation
• 60dB – Loud
• 70dB – Disturbing
• 80dB – Potential hazard
• 90dB – May be harmful
• 100dB – Dangerous
• 110dB – Very dangerous

Best iPhone apps to measure sound level around you

In addition to the Decibel Meter app, you can also use these apps to measure the sound around you. Some of them have a Dosimeter (dosemeter) that measures the sound level and exposure over a time period like 8 hours. A few apps can also sync your noise data to the Apple Health app.

Note that all these apps are free to download and use but may have an optional in-app purchase option.

• Decibel
• Decibel X – Supports Dynamic Island and Live Activities
• Decibel Metre (Sound Meter)
• Grooz dB Meter – Has Dosimeter
• Decibel Meter Master – Very clean and simple-to-use app
• Decibel : dB sound level meter

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Where Can I Send Balloons?

You can send balloons and other message effects only on iMessage and not regular text. Exploding balloons, fireworks, confetti, and other animations aren’t available when you send someone a text from your iPhone.

The easiest way to identify if you’re sending an iMessage or text is to see the typing box and notice what it says in light gray – iMessage or Text Message. Secondly, iMessage has blue chat bubbles, and regular SMS text messages have green chat bubbles.

If you want to send someone balloons, the user must be on iMessage. And he can be on iMessage only if he owns an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

How Do I Send Balloons on iPhone Text

Here’s how to send balloons on iPhone text:

1. Open your iPhone or iPad Messages app and go to the person’s chat to whom you want to send the balloon. You can also start a new chat by tapping the blue compose button and typing the person’s name.
2. If you type Happy Birthday and send it, balloons are attached and sent automatically. You don’t have to do anything else.iMessage balloon effect also works when you send Happy Birthday in some other languages like Alles Gute Zum Geburtstag (German), Feliz Cumpleanos (Spanish), Bon Anniversaire (French), С днем ​​рождения (Russian), Gratulerer med dagen (Norwegian), chúc mừng sinh nhật (Vietnamese), 生日快樂 (Chinese Traditional), 生日快乐 (Chinese Simplified), and more.
   
3. To send balloons in any message you want, type it and then press (not tap) the send button.
   
4. Tap Screen.
5. Swipe left until you reach the balloon effect screen. It should be in the third place.
6. Tap the blue send button to send your message with a full-screen balloon effect.
   

Like the iMessage balloon effect and iPhone Happy Birthday balloons, you can choose one of the other effects by following the same steps.

Note: When starting a new conversation (step 1), make sure their phone number or email turns blue, which signifies they are on iMessage and can receive the balloons you send. If their phone number or email appears green, that means they aren’t on iMessage, and you can’t send balloons. In that case, ask them if they are on iMessage and if they use iMessage with a different phone number or email address

How to Fix Balloon Effect Not Working in iMessage on iPhone

Here’s how to fix iMessage balloon effects on iPhone and iPad:

• Sometimes, without any fault of yours, the automatic balloon effect will fail to send when sending Happy Birthday. While you may not see the effect, the recipient sees the balloon fly on his screen.
• Open the Settings app, go to Accessibility > Motion, and turn on Auto-Play Message Effects.
• Make sure you’re sending an iMessage and not a regular SMS text message.
• Swipe up or double-press the Home button and drag the Messages tile all the way up to close the app. After 10 seconds, open the Messages app again, and the balloon effect should work.
• Restart your iPhone.
• Finally, if nothing helps, go to iPhone Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset and Reset All Settings.

How to Send Balloon in iMessage From Mac

If your Mac desktop or MacBook is running macOS Big Sur (released in 2020) or later, you can send balloons and other iMessage effects from the Messages app. Here’s how:

1. Open the macOS Messages app and go to the chat where you want to send balloons.
2. Type Happy Birthday in English or one of the languages mentioned above and press the enter key. It will automatically add the balloons effect.
3. To add the balloon effect to any other message, first type what you want to say.
4. After typing your desired message, click the App Store icon and choose Message Effects.
   
5. Click Balloons.
6. Click the blue send button. This message will have a full-screen balloon effect. The recipient will see it on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
   

Next: Why Snapchat Keeps Crashing on iPhone and How to Fix It

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Downloading APK on iPhone is like going to an airport with a train ticket – possible but useless.

What’s APK?

APK (Android Package Kit, Android Package, or Android Application Package) is the file format used by Google’s Android operating system to distribute apps. An APK is a single archive file that has all the files needed to install an Android app on your Android smartphone, TV, tablet, and other supported devices.

What’s the Use of APK on iPhone?

There is zero use of APK on iPhone for a regular user. Since Android and iOS are different and non-compatible operating systems by two separate companies, there is no interworking between them.

Note: Even if you jailbreak your iPhone, you can’t install APK files on it.

Why Download APKs?

Google Play Store, Amazon App Store, Mi Store, Huawei AppGallery, and Samsung Galaxy Store are the top official safe places to download apps on your Android device. However, there can be some apps that aren’t available on these app stores.

In that case, you might want to download and install an APK file if you’re going to try out an app from a small developer, or your app developed by you or an agency on your behalf.

Plus, the official update may take time to release for many apps on the respective app store. But you can download their updated APK file from the official website earlier. Also, APKs are useful for trying out the beta, alpha, or pre-released versions of an app.

To successfully install an APK file, you must go to your Android phone’s settings and enable a developer mode that lets you install unknown apps.

How to Download APK on iPhone

Besides an iPhone, if you also use an Android phone and, for some reason, you can’t download an APK file there, you can download APK on your iPhone. Later, you can transfer it to your Android device.

Here’s how to download APK on iPhone:

1. Open Safari on your iPhone and visit the website from where you want to download the APK file. APK Pure and APK Mirror are two popular sites.
2. Find the APK file and tap the Download button.
3. Tap Download on the iOS alert.
   
4. The APK file will immediately start downloading. Tap the tiny download arrow in Safari’s address bar and choose Downloads to see the ongoing APK download.
   
5. You can tap the APK file from the Safari Downloads list and tap the share button to send the APK or open it in some specific app.
   
6. To find the APK file on your iPhone, open the Files app and tap Browse. Now, tap iCloud Drive > Downloads, and you should see the recently downloaded APK file here. If not, go back and tap On My iPhone > Downloads to see the APK.
   

Tip: To see and change where Safari downloads the file, open Settings > Safari > Downloads > and choose a location.

APK Downloaded on iPhone

This is how you can download APK files on iPhone. But as mentioned, you can’t use it in a regular way until you have a particular un-archiver iOS app or something similar.

If your purpose was just to download and store APKs on iPhone, I hope the above tutorial was helpful.

Next: Why Snapchat Keeps Crashing on iPhone and How to Fix It

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Why Is Snapchat Crashing When I Open It?

These are the main reasons Snapchat crashes on iPhone when you open it or while using it:

1. You’re using an old version of the Snapchat app.
2. There are bugs in iOS on your iPhone.
3. You haven’t permitted Snapchat to access iPhone’s camera and microphone.
4. You haven’t restarted your iPhone in a long time.
5. You’re using VPN on your iPhone.
6. iPhone is very hot or cold.
7. There isn’t enough free space on your iPhone.
8. You’re running many heavy apps together on iPhone.
9. There are problems with your iPhone settings.
10. You’re using a very old iPhone model.

How to Fix Snapchat Crashing on iPhone

Follow these solutions when Snapchat keeps crashing on iOS:

1. Quit all apps, including Snapchat.
2. Update the Snapchat app.
3. Restart your iPhone.
4. Allow Snapchat camera and microphone access.
5. Turn off VPN on your iPhone.
6. Free space on your iPhone.
7. Delete Snapchat and reinstall it.
8. Make sure iPhone isn’t too hot or cold.
9. Update iOS on your iPhone.
10. Reset all iPhone Settings.

If you need guidance following the above Snapchat fixes, please keep reading.

How to Quit All iPhone Apps if Snapchat Keeps Crashing

1. On a new iPhone with no front button, swipe up from the bottom of the screen. On iPhone with a front Home button, quickly double-press it.
2. Drag all app tiles up to close them.
3. After closing all apps, open just Snapchat, and it should no longer crash.

How to Update the Snapchat App if It’s Crashing

If you’re on a very old version of the Snapchat app, it will often crash due to problems between it and iOS. To fix this, update the Snapchat app:

1. Press the App Store icon and tap Updates.
2. Pull down the updates screen to refresh it. If you don’t, it may not show all your pending updates.
3. Tap Update next to Snapchat if you see it.

In the future, you can have your apps automatically update by going to iPhone Settings > App Store > enable App Updates under Automatic Downloads.

If the Snapchat update is crashing, this new version is worse than the old version and has some fresh or unaddressed bugs. To fix this, follow the remaining solutions below and if that doesn’t help, contact Snapchat support via their website or their official Twitter account and let them know that the Snapchat app keeps crashing on iPhone.

How to Restart Your iPhone to Fix Snapchat Crashing Issues

Restarting is one of the best solutions to address any app crashing issue, including that of Snapchat. To restart your iPhone, you can use its button to turn it off and then turn it back on. You can also go to iPhone Settings > General > Shut Down > drag the power off slider to the right. After waiting for 30 to 60 seconds, switch on your iPhone, and now Snapchat shouldn’t crash on it.

How to Allow Snapchat to Access the iPhone Camera and Microphone

After you download and open the Snapchat app for the first time, it shows an alert and asks for your permission to access your iPhone’s camera and microphone. You have to tap Allow.

If you intentionally or accidentally choose Don’t Allow, Snapchat can crash when you open it on your iPhone. You can fix this by giving Snapchat the necessary permissions:

1. Open iPhone Settings and scroll to the bottom.
2. Tap Snapchat.
3. Make sure the switches for the Microphone and Camera are enabled.

If Snapchat immediately crashes after you go out of the app or after a few minutes, make sure Background App Refresh is enabled. If it’s grayed out, turn off Low Power Mode and then try enabling it.

How to Turn Off iPhone’s VPN to Prevent Snapchat Crashes

The easiest and surest way to turn off VPN is by opening that VPN app and turning off its connection switch. In most cases, if you use the VPN toggle in the iOS Settings app, it won’t disable or enable the VPN. So, avoid that and use the in-app switch.

How to Free Space on Your iPhone to Fix Snapchat Crashing Issues

Snapchat won’t open or keep crashing a lot if your iPhone’s local storage is full or almost full. It’s because when you try to take a picture or video inside Snapchat or browse other people’s Snaps and Stories, there will not be the required free space on your iPhone to store these. As a result, Snapchat will crash or refuse to open.

You can check how much free space you have on your iPhone by going to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > wait for some time and let it process.

If you don’t have free space (like at least 500 MB to 1 GB), delete some unnecessary apps, videos, music, photos, etc., from your iPhone. After this, Snapchat shouldn’t crash when you open it.

How to Delete Snapchat From iPhone and Install It Again to Fix Random Crashes

If you have been using Snapchat for a long time, it might have developed a vast quantity of app caches, logs, and other data. While iOS automatically manages these well in the background, sometimes, problems continue. The only way to solve this is by deleting the app and downloading it again.

When you delete Snapchat, it will delete all the local data that’s not on Snapchat’s servers (But Snaps, messages, stories, etc., are already on Snapchat’s servers. So there shouldn’t be a problem).

Plus, before proceeding, make sure you know your Snapchat login details. And if you don’t know that, make sure you know your Snapchat email or phone number so that you can reset your password.

Here’s how to delete and reinstall Snapchat if it keeps crashing on your iPhone:

1. Press the Snapchat app icon on your iPhone Home Screen or App Library.
2. Tap Remove App > Delete App > Delete.
3. After deleting the app, don’t forget to restart your iPhone.
4. Open App Store and download Snapchat again. You can also use this link.

After logging in, you should notice that the Snapchat app is no longer crashing, and everything feels nice and fast.

Fix Snapchat Crashes Due to iPhone Being Too Hot or Cold

When your iPhone becomes very hot (because you left it in the car dashboard on a sunny day, forgot it on a wireless charger, run a lot of heavy apps, stream high-quality video over the internet, etc.) Snapchat, along with other apps, will crash. The same happens if your iPhone is extremely cold.

As per Apple, the ideal operating temperature for an iPhone and iPad is 32º to 95º F (0º and 35º C). If the ambient temperature around you is significantly higher, take some preventive measures to prevent Snapchat from crashing.

When it’s too hot or cold around you, make sure you don’t use the iPhone for extended periods, don’t run intensive tasks like high-end games, GPS, 4K video recording, video calls, constantly use maps, etc. These measures will keep the iPhone’s internal temperature under control and prevent Snapchat from crashing.

How to Update iOS on Your iPhone to Prevent Snapchat Crashes

When you’re running an outdated version of iOS, there will be some problems between the updated Snapchat app and the old iPhone software. Due to this, the Snapchat app will crash more often.

You can solve this by going to iPhone Settings > General > Software Update. From here, tap Download and Install or Install Now to get the latest version of iOS available for your device.

Once the latest iOS is installed successfully, restart your iPhone. After this, you should notice that Snapchat doesn’t crash like it used to before.

How to Reset All iPhone Settings to Fix Snapchat Crashing Issues on iOS

Finally, if none of those mentioned above solutions help, you can reset all iPhone settings to solve the Snapchat problem.

When you reset all settings, it doesn’t delete your valuables like photos, songs, videos, apps, etc. All it does is reset all the settings you have ever changed. So, after this task completes, you will have to open apps and give them the required permissions. You will also have to go to iPhone Settings and change them as per your liking.

If Snapchat keeps crashing on iPhone, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings > enter your iPhone passcode > confirm that you want to reset.

After the reset completes, your iPhone will automatically switch on. Now, you can open Snapchat, and it should no longer crash.

Snapchat Crashing on iPhone [Solved]

These were almost all the solutions to fix Snapchat crashing on iPhone. I hope now you have a pleasant experience with Snaps, messages, and Stories.

Usually, when Snapchat crashes on my iPhone, restarting the iOS device, and updating the Snapchat app solves the problem. In a few situations, deleting and reinstalling the app has also helped.

Up next for you: How to restrict the camera on your iPhone Lock Screen

The post Why Snapchat Keeps Crashing on iPhone and How to Fix It appeared first on LawyersTech.

Solutions 1, 2, and 4 apply to all iPhones, including iPhone 4S, 5, 5S, 6, 7, 8, X, XR, XS, 11, 12, and 13. Solution 3 applies to iPhones running iOS 14 or iOS 15.

1. Use Spotlight to find the missing Phone app.
2. Ask Siri to open the randomly missing Phone app.
3. Move disappeared Phone icon from App Library to Home Screen.
4. Reset Home Screen layout to get the missing Phone app icon.

1. Use Spotlight to find the missing Phone app.

Be on the iPhone Home Screen and swipe down to see the Spotlight Search. Now, type Phone, and its icon will show up. Tap to open and use the Phone app.

2. Ask Siri to open the randomly missing Phone app.

Call Siri on your iPhone by long-pressing the right Side button if you use iPhone X or later. If your iPhone has a front Home button, press and hold this button. Now, ask Siri to open the Phone app.

3. Move disappeared Phone icon from App Library to Home Screen.

You can choose to remove an app from the iPhone Home Screen on iOS 14 and iOS 15. After this, its icon won’t show on the Home Screen but only in the App Library. The same might have happened with you, and thus the Phone app icon is not visible in the Dock or the Home Screen.

Here’s how to add the Phone icon to Home Screen or the Dock.

1. Be on the Home Screen and swipe right to left till you reach the App Library.

2. If you see the big Phone app icon here, long-press it and tap Add to Home Screen. If you do not see the Phone app icon, tap the Social folder. You will find it here. Long-press and tap Add to Home Screen.

3. In case you do not see the Add to Home Screen option, that means the app is still on the Home Screen. It is probably hidden inside some folder. So, you may manually look inside the folders. Once you find it, drag it out of the folder onto the Home Screen.

Or, the quickest way is to swipe down the App Library screen. Now long-press the Phone app icon and drag it onto the Home Screen. If it was hidden inside any folder, it will be taken out of it and appear on the Home Screen.

Once you have the Phone app icon on the Home Screen, you can add it to other Home Screens or the Dock.

Missing Voicemail icon?

After locating the Phone app, you will find the missing voicemail icon inside the Phone app in the lower right. However, if your carrier or country does not support Voicemail or if you have not set it up, you might not see the Voicemail tab in the Phone app. In this situation, reset all settings or contact your carrier.

4. Reset Home Screen layout to get the missing Phone app icon.

Resetting the iPhone Home Screen layout will change how the apps are arranged on your iPhone. It will appear just like a new iPhone. The first Home Screen will have all the Apple apps. The top rows of the second Home Screen will also have the Apple apps. And after that, all the apps you have downloaded from the App Store will be arranged alphabetically.

Note: This will only change the way apps are arranged. Resetting the iPhone Home Screen layout does not delete any apps, app data, photos, videos, music, etc.

Here is how to get the Phone app back on iPhone.

1. Open the Settings app and tap General.
2. Scroll to the bottom and tap Reset.
3. Tap Reset Home Screen Layout.
4. Once this completes, you will see the Phone app icon in the Dock.

Found the missing Phone icon!

These are the solutions to get back the missing Phone app and add it to the iPhone Home Screen or the Dock. I hope this quick guide was helpful.

In the same way, you can find other missing apps. Please note that if the app was downloaded from the App Store, you might have deleted it intentionally or accidentally. In this case, long-press the App Store icon and choose Search. Next, type the app name. If the app is already installed on your iPhone, it will say Open. Else, you will see the download icon to get the app.

You may also like:
How to organize apps on iPhone
How to Send Balloons on iPhone and Mac

The post How to Get Back the Missing Phone App Icon on iPhone appeared first on LawyersTech.

We will create folders, rearrange apps, play around with widgets, change wallpaper, learn about App Library, and more.

17 Best ways to organize apps on iPhone.

1. Organize your apps by usage.
2. Arrange apps by category.
3. Organize apps by function.
4. Arrange apps according to your job.
5. Organize your apps by needs.
6. List iPhone apps alphabetically.
7. Organize by app developer.
8. Arrange iPhone apps by color.
9. Re-arrange your apps based on Home Screen quick actions.
10. Create folders on iPhone to organize apps.
11. Use Home Screen widgets to organize your apps.
12. Hide Home Screen pages.
13. Maximize App Library usage.
14. Turn off app badges.
15. Customize the iPhone Dock.
16. Use a custom Home Screen and Lock Screen wallpaper.
17. Use fewer apps.

These tips apply to iPhone 6s, 7, 8, X, XR, SE, 11, 12, and 13 series running iOS 14 or iOS 15.

1. Organize your apps by usage.

On the first Home Screen, I have the most-used apps. This ensures that the applications I use frequently are instantly visible when I unlock my iPhone.

You probably know which apps you use the most. If you do not, open the Settings app > Screen Time > See All Activity to view your most-used apps.

In case you had not enabled Screen Time, you can also get an idea of the most used apps by opening the Settings app > Battery and seeing the battery usage by app. Typically, the ones you used for the longest hours consume maximum battery and are listed on top.

To move an iPhone app, press an empty area on the Home Screen. Soon, all app icons will start shaking. Touch one app icon and drag it around. To take it to the adjacent Home Screen, drag it over to the left or right edge of the screen.

To move multiple iPhone apps together, press an empty area on the Home Screen > drag the first app icon slightly and keep holding it. Now, use another finger to tap the other app icons you wish to move. They will group under the first app icon. Now, move all of them to the next Home Screen.

2. Arrange apps by category.

On my second Home Screen, I follow this organization method. I have all the social media apps together. Calendar, Reminders, Contacts, Clock, and similar essential productive apps are one after another.

You can follow a similar route and list apps by category.

3. Organize apps by function.

I have multiple photo editing apps like Canva, Picsew, Studio. I keep them together. The same goes for video editing apps like iMovie, Inshot, etc. In the same way, I have my VPN apps like 1.1.1.1, Proton VPN, and TunnelBear side by side.

Having apps by function instantly reminds you of the options. For example, while editing in Studio, if I do not like a font, I know I can switch to Canva. If the net speed with Proton VPN is slow, I can quickly use TunnelBear.

4. Arrange apps according to your job.

Suppose you are a freelancer who primarily writes for three websites. Now, each company uses one or the other communication apps.

For example, here at LawyersTech, I use Slack, Trello, Google Docs, and Simplenote. So, I have all these apps together.

Suppose at my other job they use Wrike, Microsoft Teams, and Google Keep. I will have them together.

The same goes for HR, work email, and similar apps.

5. Organize your apps by needs.

Some iPhone apps are rarely needed. For example, flight apps, shopping apps, and such. So it is best to have them on the third or last Home Screen. Doing this also prevents you from opening Amazon or Best Buy unnecessarily and shopping for things you do not need.

Similarly, if you think you are using Twitter or Instagram too much, move them to the last Home Screen so that you see these app icons every time you unlock the phone.

6. List iPhone apps alphabetically.

When you swipe down in the App Library (accessed by swiping left of the last Home Screen), you see all the iPhone apps in alphabetic order – A to Z.

You can do the same on your iPhone by resetting the Home Screen layout. After this, the first Home Screen and the top portion of the second Home Screen will have the inbuilt Apple apps – just like when you set up a new iPhone. And after that, from the second Home Screen, all your third-party apps will be arranged alphabetically.

To organize apps on iPhone automatically alphabetically, open the Settings app > General > Reset > Reset Home Screen Layout.

Resetting the Home Screen layout does not delete any app or data.

7. Organize by app developer.

App developers like Google, Apple, Microsoft, Zoho, Facebook have several apps. And if you use many of them, you can have apps by a certain developer together.

For example, you can keep Google Maps, Gmail, Keep, Drive, Google Photos, Google Pay, and Chrome together.

8. Arrange iPhone apps by color.

This is one of the aesthetic ways to organize your apps. You can arrange them according to the app color icon. For example, all apps with a green icon like FaceTime, Messages, Phone, WhatsApp, Numbers can be placed together.

9. Re-arrange your apps based on Home Screen quick actions.

(earlier 3D Touch). You can have the apps whose quick actions you use the most near the screen’s edge to access it easily.

For example, I always long-press the Safari app icon to open a new tab or private tab. Therefore, I have Safari on the Dock to use quick actions easily.

Settings, Camera, Messages, and Notes are some inbuilt apps with convenient quick action options.

10. Create folders on iPhone to organize apps.

Folders on the Home Screen let you have several apps in it. This cleans up the screen and neatly keeps the apps organized. I have seen people who have dozens of folders. Now, I would not suggest you do that, as finding which app is in which folder becomes a chore.

However, you can use a few folders to hide the least used apps like Tips, Compass, Stocks, etc.

You can also create multiple pages inside the folder to hide apps from plain view. This is helpful if you often hand over your iPhone to others.

Creating folders on iPhone is easy. Long-press an empty area until all apps start jiggling. Now, drag one app icon and place it over the other. They will automatically create an app folder and go inside it.

You can move the folder around as if it were an app icon. Plus, if you drag all the apps out of a folder, you can still keep the folder with just one app.

I usually have a folder full of unnecessary Apple Stock apps. Sure. I can delete most of them. But doing so hardly frees up around 50 MB, and at times these apps are helpful.

I also have a folder with video apps like VLC, Apple TV+, Prime Video, etc. Keeping apps in a folder makes them somewhat hidden, thus preventing me from unnecessarily binging TV shows and movies.

For iPhone folder names, you can use the category of apps inside it. You may also give it any random boring name so that people do not peek inside. Plus, to spice up the look, you can use emojis as folder names!

To rename a folder, open it, long-press its existing name, and type the new name. You may also long-press the folder from the Home Screen and tap Rename.

11. Use Home Screen widgets to organize your apps.

I use an iPhone 11 that has a 6.06 inches screen. My small hands can never single-handedly reach the top corners. Thus, instead of having apps icons, I place widgets there.

Some widgets only display the information. You do not need to and cannot tap them to perform an action. The best example of this kind is the battery widget. I have added it to the top of my first Home Screen. It shows the battery percentage of my iPhone, AirPods, and other Bluetooth devices. Plus, having it on top pushes the app icons below, making them easier to reach single-handedly.

You can use different sized iOS widgets to organize your iPhone apps and make the Home Screen interactive.

To add a widget on iPhone Home Screen, long-press an empty area and tap the plus icon from the top-left. Next, scroll down to use an inbuilt or third-party widget. After tapping the app name, choose the widget size and tap Add Widget.

You can move widgets around on the iPhone Home Screen just like an app.

To remove a widget from the iPhone Home Screen, long-press it and tap Remove Widget > Remove.

You can also use widget apps like WidgetSmith to get more options.

12. Hide Home Screen pages.

Did you know that you can hide Home Screens on your iPhone to have a cleaner look? Now, you may ask, if I am going to hide the Home Screens, how will I access my apps? The answer – App Library that has all your iPhone apps in one place. And Spotlight Search, which lets you find any app by typing its initials.

Here is how to hide iPhone Home Screen pages.

1. Long-press an empty Home Screen area until all apps start shaking.
2. Tap the dotted capsule just above the iPhone Dock.
3. Uncheck the Home Screens you wish to hide and tap Done.

Notes:

• You will have to keep at least one Home Screen.
• To unhide the Home Screens, follow the same steps and check the boxes. Your Home Screens will again become visible with all the app icons like before.
• From any iPhone Home Screen, swipe down to reveal the Spotlight Search. Type the app name initials to see the app icon. Tap to open it from here.

13. Maximize App Library usage.

In iOS 14, Apple introduced App Library, a single screen with all the iPhone apps arranged in folders. You cannot rearrange apps inside the App Library. iOS does this for you, and it is non-customizable!

To see the App Library, swipe right to left on the last iPhone Home Screen.

To see the list of all iPhone apps, swipe down on the App Library screen. You will see all your iOS apps listed alphabetically. Swipe on A to Z to scroll quickly.

You can also set to have all new apps downloaded only inside the App Library. To do this, open the Settings app > Home Screen > App Library Only. From now, the new apps you download can be found inside the App Library and Spotlight Search. You will not see their app icon on the Home Screen.

To move an app out of the App Library, drag its icon from the App Library to the Home Screen. You can also drag it when viewing the apps in list view.

14. Turn off app badges.

The red circles in the top-right of the apps show unread notifications. These are called app badges. If you want to clean your Home Screen look, you may turn off badges for the apps one by one. There is no single toggle to turn it off for all apps.

Note: Doing this may cause you to miss seeing unattended calls and notifications.

Open the Settings app > Notifications > tap the app name > turn off Badges.

15. Customize the iPhone Dock.

You can have up to four apps on the iPhone Dock. Usually, people place the most used apps like Phone, Safari, Messages, etc., here.

Drag an app up from the Dock to make space. Next, drag an app onto the Dock. You may also place folders on the iPhone Dock if desired.

16. Use a custom Home Screen and Lock Screen wallpaper.

You can download excellent free wallpapers from sites like Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay, etc. If you like, you may also create custom pictures using apps like Canva. Plus, there is no shortage of wallpaper apps on the App Store.

To change your wallpaper, open the Settings app > Wallpaper > Choose a New Wallpaper. Now, pick one provided by Apple (Dynamic, Stills, Live). Or, use one from All Photos, Recents, or one of your albums.

If you tap the tiny phone icon on the wallpaper page, it will turn off the perspective zoom. Perspective zoom is responsible for moving the wallpaper slightly when your iPhone tilt it up or down. This is off when your device is in Low Power Mode.

17. Use fewer apps.

Finally, the last (and the best long-term) organization option is to use fewer apps and get rid of ones when you do not need them in the near future.

For example, I do not travel much. But if I ever do, and once I am back home, I remove the flight and hotel apps. If I do not, they unnecessarily keep occupying valuable storage, send irrelevant notifications, show update badges in App Store and eat up the battery.

Thus the best option is to get rid of apps you do not need. Plus, if you ever need them, download them from the App Store.

To delete an app, long-press its icon from the Home Screen > Remove App > Delete App > Delete.

You may also open the Settings app > General > iPhone Storage > tap the app name > Delete App.

If you choose Offload App, the app will delete, but the app data will stay on your iPhone. When you tap its icon from the Home Screen, the app will re-download.

iPhone Home Screen apps beautifully organized!

These are some of the creative ways to organize iPhone apps. I hope you now have some great iOS 15 organization ideas. Go ahead and set your Home Screens just the way you like.

How to see photo and video size on iPhone
How to Download APK on iPhone

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1. Use iOS video editor to add filters

In iOS 14 and later, the inbuilt Photos app has multiple video filters that let you customize the clip’s appearance. Here is how to use these filters for iPhone videos.

1. Open the Apple Photos app and go to the video section.
2. Tap a video and choose Edit from the top right.
3. Tap the three-circle icon to see all the iOS video filters. Swipe horizontally to preview them.
4. To change the video filter level, drag the slider below the individual filter.
5. Tap Done to save.

Depending on the length and your iPhone processor, preparing and adding these video effects may take a while.

2. Use the Apple Clips app to add video filter on iPhone

Clips is an app by Apple primarily geared towards Snapchat kind of videos with effects, stickers, music, and more. Using Clips, you can record video with filter on iPhone. You may also add them to videos saved in the Photos app. The app is free to download from the App Store (requires iOS 14.5 and above).

Here is how to use a video filter app called Clips to record videos with filters on iPhone.

1. Open the Clips app, and from the camera recording screen, tap the colored star icon.

2. Tap green-red-blue circle icon and choose one among 28+ video filters. Tap x when you have decided which filter to use.

3. Press and hold the big pink button to record video with filter. You may also drag it up to lock and keep recording. Once done, leave your hold or tap the pink stop button.

4. The video with filters is saved to the Clips app. To transfer this to the iPhone Camera Roll, tap the video thumbnail. Next, tap the Share icon > Save Video.

Note: By default, it records square videos. To change the video dimension, in step 1, tap the rectangle icon from the top right and choose 16:9 or 4:3.

3. How to use Inshot iOS video editor app to add filters

Inshot is one of the best video filter apps on iPhone. It is free to download, and the straightforward controls make it suitable even for beginners. You can also use it to add text, music, video effects, and more.

Here is how to use Inshot – one of the easiest iPhone video editing software to put a filter on a video.

1. Open the Inshot app, tap Video, and select your desired clip from the iPhone Camera Roll.

2. Tap Filters to see video effects, filters, adjust the video light, contrast, saturation, tint, warmth, etc. Since we want to add a filter, tap the three-circle icon.

3. Swipe and choose one of the video filters like Bright, Story, Natural, Warm, Vintage, Dark, Cinema, Film, Latte, etc.

4. Use the slider to set the filter level.

5. Tap the check icon twice.

6. Now, tap the share icon, change video resolution if desired, and tap Save to get the edited video in the Photos app.

Notes:

• By default, Inshot uses a square format. You may tap Canvas to change that.
• In the free version of Inshot, you will see a tiny watermark at the bottom-right.

Successfully added video filter effects on iPhone!

These were the three quick and easy methods to apply video filters on iPhone. I hope this short tutorial was helpful and you got what you came here to know. You may also use one of the several video editing apps available on the iOS App Store. Just search for video filters or video editors and use one with good ratings. Try a few apps to find the one that fits your needs.

Thanks for reading.

You may like: How to see photo and video size on iPhone

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How to see photo and video size on iPhone using Exif Wizard

1. From the App Store, download Exif Wizard for free.
2. Open the app and allow it to access your iPhone photos.
3. Tap Recents or choose an album. Tap End from the top-right to see the newest photo.
4. Finally, tap a picture to see its file size, format, dimensions, metadata, and more.

Pros of using this method:

• Exif Wizard is a tiny app of just 665 KB.
• It is quick, free, and does not require you to duplicate the file for checking the image size.

Cons of using this method:

• The app feels old. So, search for EXIF on the App Store to use an alternative, if desired. I have been using it for years and thus recommend it to people.
• The newest images are listed at the end.

How to use the Files app to see photo size on iPhone

Using the iOS Files app, you can check the resolution, dimensions, and size of photo on iPhone. Here is how.

1. Open an image inside the Photos app and tap the Share icon.

2. Tap Save to Files > choose either iCloud Drive or On My iPhone > Save.

3. Open the Files app and visit the location where you copied the image. The photo size is mentioned below the image.

4. You may also long-press the image and tap Info to see the image dimensions, resolution, color profile, date created, kind, and more.

Pros of using this method:

• Beautifully shows several details like photo dimensions, resolution, and other image data.

Cons of using this method:

• The same image is duplicated in the Files app. Due to this, the picture is in the Photos app and also the Files app taking double storage. Plus, if you save it to iCloud, it will consume online space too. So, delete it from here, after seeing the details.
• The steps to see image size using the Files app are a bit lengthy.

Build your iOS shortcut to see photo and video size instantly on iPhone

Learn how to build your iOS shortcut to effortlessly check photo and video file size on iPhone and iPad.

1. Open the Shortcuts app. It is pre-installed on all iPhones running iOS 13 and later. If you are on iOS 12, you may download it from the App Store.

2. Tap the plus icon (+) from the top right of the My Shortcuts tab.

3. Tap Add Action and search for Get Details of Files. Tap it from the search results.

4. Tap File and choose Shortcut Input.

5. Tap the blue plus icon, search for Show Notification, and tap it.

6. Tap Hello World, and you will see File Size appear above your iPhone keyboard. Tap File Size.

Note: You may now place the cursor on the Hello World text and delete it. If you do not delete it, that too is fine. It will just appear unnecessarily every time you run this shortcut.

7. Tap the three dots icon from the top right and give this shortcut any name you want. I will go with Photo Size. Next, enable Show in Share Sheet. Also, make sure Notifications is on. Finally, tap Done.

8. Tap Done once again. You have successfully built the iOS shortcut to see the photo size on iPhone. Now, let me show you how to use it.

9. Open any image or video inside the Apple Photos app and tap the Share icon.

10. Scroll down and tap the Shortcut name (Photo Size, in my case). It will instantly show you a notification with the file size.

Pros of using this method:

• It is your inbuilt method. You can be proud of it.
• You have to follow the above steps to build the shortcut just once. After that, use it forever to know the iPhone photo and video size.
• It requires no app downloads and can be used quickly from inside the Photos app.

Cons of using this method:

• The photo file size notifications can be a bit unpleasant as they stack up in the iPhone notification center.

Successfully learned how to see photo and video size on iPhone!

These were the three best methods to see the size of a photo or video on an iPhone.

You may also use third-party photo gallery apps. But I would recommend against it as I would not like you to give full photo access to gallery apps when the inbuilt Photos app is already excellent.

You may also upload the photos to Google Drive, Dropbox, One Drive, etc., and see the image size there. But again, going through all these for knowing the file size is a bit exaggerated.

Thanks for reading.

You may also like: iPhone Do Not Disturb (DND) – Complete Guide

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1. Open Instagram and follow the regular steps to post a picture. In short, tap the plus icon from the top, choose the picture or video, add filters if needed. After all this, you will be on the final sharing screen. From this final sharing screen, tap Tag People » Invite Collaborator.

2. Use the search box to type the name of the person you wish to collaborate with. After that, tap Done.

3. Finally, enter the desired caption and tap Share.

3. Immediately after doing this, the person you have tagged or wanted to collaborate with will get an Instagram notification saying, “your username tagged you in a post.” Once the person taps this notification, the post or Reel opens. Below this, it says, “your username invited you to be a collaborator on their post. Review”. After the person taps Review » Accept you will get a notification saying, “The person accepted your invitation to be a collaborator on your posts.”

4. Done! Now, this post will show both you and that person as the maker or author. Both the usernames will appear above this post. Plus, this post will also appear in the Instagram profile of the person you have collaborated with. You both will receive notifications when people like this collaborated post.

How to Stop Instagram Collab

The collaborator can go to his profile anytime, open this collaborated post, and tap Stop Sharing » Stop Sharing. After this, the post will have only you as its author or creator. The collaborator has excused themselves from your post, and now it will no longer appear on their Instagram profile grid. Plus, their followers, too, won’t see this in their feed.

When the Instagram collaborator removes themselves from one of your collaborated posts, you will receive a notification saying, “username removed themselves from being a collaborator on your post.”

Note: Currently, this feature is in testing, and Instagram has not rolled it out globally for everyone. As of now, it is being experimented with a few users in India and United Kingdom. Soon it will be available for all Instagram users.

The post Steps to use Instagram Collab feature appeared first on LawyersTech.

However, if, because of privacy issues or personal preferences, you are looking for Google Chrome alternatives, here is a list of excellent iOS and Android browsers with some fantastic features. Besides the standard browser tasks, we will be focusing on the standout features that may encourage you to use it instead of Chrome.

Best Google Chrome alternatives for iPhone and Android

1. Aloha
2. Ecosia
3. Firefox Focus
4. Opera Touch
5. DuckDuckGo
6. Safari
7. Firefox

1. Aloha

• Video playback in the background, even on youtube!
• Picture-in-Picture video.
• Audio playback in background for videos.
• Inbuilt VPN.

Aloha is the perfect browser if you watch tons of videos (especially on YouTube.) Aloha allows you to play videos in picture-in-picture mode. The video stays as a small popup at the bottom of every browser tab. (you can drag and place this video in any of the four corners). Even after you minimize the Aloha browser and open another app, the video’s audio continues to play in the background. Great, isn’t it! YouTube wants you to pay to play audio in the background. On the Aloha browser, you get this feature for free.

Apart from this great feature, Aloha also has an inbuilt VPN that does not keep logs. It collects your IP address while using the VPN, but the moment you disconnect, your IP address is deleted by them. If you buy their premium subscription, you can even set the VPN to auto-start whenever you open Aloha Browser. The premium version also supports a phone-wide VPN and allows you to select the country of your choice. It also removes sponsored articles that you see on the browser’s main page.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that Aloha claims to load pages two times faster using hardware acceleration.

• Download Aloha for Android
• Download Aloha for iOS
• Price – Free

2. Ecosia

• Environment friendly – They plant a tree every time you search for something!
• Clean, beautiful look.
• Easily accessible favourites button.

The moment you open Ecosia, you will love the clean look of it. For approximately every 45 searches of yours, Ecosia plants one tree. On average, a person makes five to ten searches a day. If you use this browser regularly, this means you are indirectly planting at least one tree every week. I am sure this environment-friendly concept is making you happy, and you are willing to try this browser.

Also, the bottom icon bar of this clean browser has a Projects tab where you can see all the work they are doing. The favorites tab lets you save your preferred webpages there. You will love this noble, environmentally friendly browser. Since Ecosia is a search engine, it is available on any browser on the web at ecosia.org

• Download Ecosia for Android
• Download Ecosia for iOS
• Price – Free

3. Firefox Focus

• For complete security and one-touch data erase!
• Very simple and private.
• One-touch data erase.
• Automatic ad blocker and tracking blocker.
• Touch ID and Face ID lock.

Firefox Focus is from the makers of Firefox browser – Mozilla. It is a straightforward browser focused on complete privacy and forces you to focus on one thing at a time. As a result, it does not allow more than one tab!

The moment you click on this app’s icon, it will open with your iPhone’s keyboard already launched and ready to type. Neat!

Firefox Focus automatically blocks ads and improves page load times. By default, it also provides various types of tracking protection and also works as a tracking-blocker in the background for Safari browser.

What makes Firefox Focus unique is that you can delete the entire history and browsing data with one tap. The erase button is placed just near the search bar and is very easily accessible. You can even set a Siri shortcut to erase entire browsing data.

Firefox Focus also allows you to lock the browser using Touch ID.

Pro Tip: To get even more privacy from this browser, go to its settings – search engine, and instead of Google, select DuckDuckGo.

• Download Firefox Focus for Android
• Download Firefox Focus for iOS
• Price – Free

4. Opera Touch

• For the love of haptic feedback and swipes!
• Clean and beautiful look.
• Voice Search.
• Dark theme.
• Ad Blocking, cryptocurrency mining protection.
• Haptic Feedbacks.

Opera touch is from the makers of Opera Mini. Its look is clean and beautiful. The round site icons look nice. With just one right swipe, you can send links, images, and notes using a secure, encrypted, and private connection from your phone to your computer (you need to have Opera browser on your computer). With another left swipe, you can easily access your history.

The small round bubble with three lines adds an additional window to your search world. Tap and hold this icon, and you will see your other open tabs, google search, ability to open a new tab, etc. And every swipe gives short haptic feedback (even on older iPhones). Even when you pull down to refresh a page, there is haptic feedback. It feels very satisfying. However, if you do not like the vibrations, you have the option to switch them off.

Opera Touch also supports audio search using its own Opera Voice recognition. In addition to all the above features, Opera Touch has inbuilt support for ad-blocking, cryptocurrency mining protection, and dark theme.

• Download Opera Touch for Android
• Download Opera Touch for iOS
• Price – Free

5. DuckDuckGo

• Privacy simplified.
• Simple and private.
• Does not save your browsing history.
• Easy one-click data and tabs erase.
• Touch ID or Face ID lock.

If privacy is your main concern and you want to stop yourself from being a Google Product, the DuckDuckGo browser is your answer. All your searches will be done on DuckDuckGo’s search engine and not Google or Bing. DuckDuckGo does not store your search history.

DuckDuckGo supports Application lock, which allows you to lock your browser. It also has one click ‘clear tabs and data’ option. Using the conveniently located fire icon, you can close all open tabs and delete your browsing data with just one easy click. (When you click on this icon, the erase icon animation is pretty neat.)

• Download DuckDuckGo for Android
• Download DuckDuckGo for iOS
• Price – Free

6. Safari

• Clean, capable, inbuilt.
• Reader Mode and Reading List.
• Minimizes tracking.
• It is inbuilt and sufficient for most users.

Whether you love Apple or dislike Apple, one thing you would agree with is that Apple is skilled at whatever it does (if not the best). Safari browser is no exception. (However, I don’t particularly appreciate that even for basic browser things like clearing history, we have to go outside the Safari app to the Settings app.) That being said, Safari is a capable browser. It comes inbuilt, gets the work done, and is enough for everyday users. This makes Safari the second most popular mobile browser with a market share of over 20 percent.

Let us look at some features which make it better than Chrome.

Now, this is a small feature, but worth mentioning. When you long-press on the Safari icon and touch ‘new tab’ or ‘private tab,’ you will find that the keyboard is also on-screen and ready to type the moment Safari opens. If you search the web a lot like me, this one little feature makes a lot of difference. With Chrome, you have to click on the search bar for the keyboard to show. That is one extra step.

Reader mode on Safari is effortless to turn on. Just click the four lines that you see on the search bar. Reader mode removes ads and other disturbances. You can even change the background color, font type, and font size in reader mode.

By default, Chrome shows news/articles on its main browser page. Some might appreciate it. I do not. On Safari, the browser screen is very clean. You can add your most accessed sites here and quickly open them. It is neat, arranged, and handy.

Bookmarking is great; Safari makes it one step better (Safari also has a bookmark feature). With just two touches on your screen, you can add any website to your reading list. Reading list is very easy to access and also supports offline saving.

Bonus fun tip: If you limit Adult Websites on your iPhone, you will lose the ability to open private tabs in Safari. (I have been complaining about it since iOS9, but Apple still thinks that private tabs are only for adult content!)

Pre-installed on Apple devices

7. Firefox

• If Chrome is the emperor of browsers, Firefox is the king
• The most capable alternative to Chrome.
• Password lock on saved passwords.
• Tracking protection.
• Dark mode, automatic theme brightness, Siri shortcut, Reader Mode.
• Load webpage without images.
• And almost everything else that Chrome does.

Firefox is an underrated browser. Let us talk about some of the great features of the Firefox mobile browser.

Firefox allows you to open copied links. Whenever you copy some link and then open the Firefox browser, it will offer you to open that link in one click. No need to paste or hit search. (You will have to turn on this feature in Firefox settings.)

If you are on a very slow network or a website with lots of image ads, you can turn on ‘Hide Images.’ This will load only the texts and not images.

Firefox also allows you to set a password for the ‘login and passwords page,’ which stores your website passwords. So suppose you hand over your phone to someone to browse the internet, and if you have this password set (which is different from your iPhone’s password), that person can not see your website passwords that are synced and saved in the browser. Pretty secure!

On the privacy side, Firefox allows you to enable different levels of tracking protection and also allows you to automatically close all private tabs when you switch to normal mode.

Other useful Firefox features include a Siri shortcut to open a new tab, dark mode, and automatically setting the theme brightness according to your phone’s screen brightness.

• Download Firefox for Android
• Download Firefox for iOS
• Price – Free

Which Chrome alternative you like?

So these were seven great alternatives to Google Chrome. Other honorable mentions are Edge from Microsoft. And Brave, which is a great browser that is fast, shows how many ads it has blocked, and how much time it has saved you.

If you are on Android, one unique Google Chrome alternative is KIWI browser. It is built on Chromium. (Chrome is built on Chromium too).

Except for Firefox Focus (which does not allow multiple tabs), any of the browsers mentioned above can be your primary and only browser. All these great apps have all the necessary features that most of us need and use in a browser.

However, there is no rule that you should use only one browser. You can have multiple browsers on your phone and use them for their specific features when needed.

I would recommend that you download all the browsers whose features while reading made you think ‘I need this browser’ or ‘this seems helpful for me.’ Try them, see which ones you like and keep the ones you need.

The post 7 best alternatives to Google Chrome for mobile appeared first on LawyersTech.